Use of the KTP Laser in the Treatment of Rosacea and Solar Lentigines

Numerous techniques have evolved in facial plastic surgery to treat rosacea and solar lentigines. The treatment regimens range from avoidance of causative factors to the use of topical agents or other modalities that target the superficial layers of the skin. Of the modalities that target the epidermis, lasers offer the physician and patient the ability to target specific chromophores in the skin. Advances in laser technology led to the implementation of targeting certain characteristic pigments of abnormal areas with minimal damage to surrounding normal tissue. Rosacea and solar lentigines have characteristic cells that are targeted by a potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) laser. The lesions are different in their origins but share the ability to be treated successfully with the KTP laser. A review of both conditions and other treatment options is discussed.

KEYWORDS

Potassium-titanyl-phosphate laser - rosacea - solar lentigines

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